Thomas Frank’s mission to turn Tottenham into title contenders | OneFootball

Special report: Daniel Levy says Spurs want to win the Premier League - but can his new manager close the gap to their rivals?

Chairman speaks ambitiously about his club and expresses a desire to win trophies. It is hardly the most thrilling or original of formulas for a message to the fans, but Daniel Levy nevertheless opted for that approach when delivering some rare public remarks in June. Having just made the decision to part ways with Ange Postecoglou, weeks after the Australian led Tottenham to Europa League glory, Levy turned his focus to the future.

Cue eyebrows being raised across north London and beyond. Two obvious questions sprung to mind. Firstly: How? And just behind that: When?

Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last season and were 28 points off the top five. Champions Liverpool were 46 points away. Only Southampton, Manchester United and Brentford failed to earn a league win over Spurs.

Spurs continued their impressive start under Frank with a 2-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday

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There is an interesting discussion, therefore, over what is expected from Thomas Frank is his first season.

There was not much else Frank could have said. Few managers decide to use their opening press conference as a chance to tell fans to forget about winning major trophies.

An acceptance of where Spurs do stand in the short-term came as he made his way out of the auditorium. Frank was told Spurs were the seventh-favourites to win the Premier League title this season. “Seventh? I'll take that," was the reply.

Nobody - Levy and Frank included - expects Spurs to be serious contenders for the two biggest prizes on offer come the business end of the campaign. Levy stated earlier this month that there was "no pressure" on Frank to win the title.

More pressing is how Spurs close the gap to ensure those conversations can be paired with a legitimate timeframe.

From the lowest of low bars in terms of Premier League form, Spurs will improve this season. You would imagine so too, though, will Manchester United. Liverpool and Manchester City have both spent big. Arsenal now have the striker they have craved and Chelsea won the Club World Cup over the summer.

Frank has made a positive early impact at Spurs

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Those teams above Spurs are not stationary targets. Mohammed Kudus has hit the ground running and appears a hugely exciting signing, while Joao Palhinha is strong addition in midfield. But they alone will not get Spurs into the mix for major honours.

With Heung-min Son leaving the club and James Maddison ruled out for the majority of the season with a serious knee injury, the current squad is not any stronger than it was last term.

The big positive for Spurs is that Frank's eye for marginal gains and tactical flexibility is already having a significant impact, as the club look to banish the memory of a Premier League season consisting of 22 defeats.

Having been moments away from beating Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup, Spurs have two wins from two in the Premier League. A 2-0 victory away from home against Manchester City on Saturday was a statement performance and result so early in Frank's reign.

Spurs now host Bournemouth on Saturday and a win could see them top of the table heading into the international break, the start of which brings the end of the transfer window. By the early hours of September 2, more will be known about just how much of a gap Frank has to close.

Early impact

"It is not going to change." That was the familiar response from Postecoglou when asked about his tactics and whether the swashbuckling approach should at times be reined in.

The Australian was adamant that success would come through mastering those single-minded principles, though ironically the Europa League trophy came through a far more pragmatic set-up in the knockout stages.

There will be no such stubbornness from Frank and after just three competitive matches it is clear things have changed.

Frank’s tactical flexibility looks set be a major positive for Spurs

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Frank switched to a 3-5-2 system against PSG, Kudus supporting Richarlison centrally. Three days later, it was back to a 4-2-3-1 with an extra attacker to beat Burnley.

It was not just a shift in formation. Spurs saw the success Chelsea had in the Club World Cup final with a direct approach against PSG and did something similar. Guglielmo Vicario sent 22 attempted passes long over the halfway. He did so just twice against Burnley.

Against City, Frank sprung a surprise by sticking with the back four and he devised an incredibly brave masterplan. Spurs went man-to-man with their press, even to the extent Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven pushed deep into the City half. Van de Ven was in City's box when Spurs turned the ball over to score their second goal. Pep Guardiola's side did not appear to be prepared for that approach and Spurs were deserved and fairly comfortable winners.

Frank's Brentford side had a strong record against the bigger clubs, regularly punching above their weight, and the early signs suggest there will be more of the same at Spurs.

There has been a focus on defensive shape in pre-season and it has had an immediate impact. Arsenal managed just one shot on target in a pre-season north London derby and PSG were kept at bay for 85 minutes, while Spurs are yet to concede in the Premier League.

Frank began planning for the Super Cup clash a month out. The long-throw auditions held at the start of pre-season took place primarily because of a perceived PSG weakness.

Kevin Danso was viewed as the biggest weapon and he came into the side in the back three in Udine. He trotted over to the touchline on both sides of the pitch to fling the ball into the six-yard box and PSG did appear vulnerable, as Frank predicted.

Spurs were unfortunate to lose to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup

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As is typical of the Dane, plans are adaptable. Spurs will not use long throws at every opportunity but it remains an option even if Danso is not on the pitch. Against Burnley it fell to Lucas Bergvall to take on that responsibility.

Set-pieces have become far more of a focus, a sharp change in approach from Postecoglou's view that they were a "finer detail" of lesser significance. Those fine details, Frank believes, add up to decisive outcomes.

Andreas Georgson has got to work as the set-piece coach and Spurs scored both goals from those situations against PSG. That threat remained in the Burnley match, with Micky van de Ven twice heading over big chances.

Spurs were in the bottom half for both defending and attacking set-pieces last season. Do not expect a repeat of that come May.

Still to prove

In some ways the PSG match was a free hit for Spurs. There was an opportunity to claim another European trophy, but also an acceptance that PSG were the firm favourites. The performance heading into the new Premier League season felt more significant.

Spurs were hugely impressive and the focus swiftly turned to Burnley, the first real test of a predicted shortcoming for Frank's side. Could a more pragmatic Spurs team find a way to break down opponents who come to sit deep and frustrate?

The game offered encouraging signs if not cast-iron proof either way. Three goals and a routine win was a strong start for Frank, helped by a Richarlison goal inside the opening ten minutes.

Had that not gone it, it could have been a very different afternoon. For much of the first half, Spurs were lacking in creativity in midfield and relatively laboured through the centre of the pitch. The most threatening moments came when Kudus was found out wide and left to his own devices.

Kudus' form must make it tempting to keep finding him and expect two or three defenders to be beaten, but the challenge for Frank is to find a solution for the obvious attacking midfield issue, particularly against teams who will sit deep.

New £55m signing Mohammed Kudus has hit the ground running at Spurs

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The Spurs boss must also prove his gameplans can work with limited time on the training pitch. Spurs had a free week before the PSG match, just as they did before the trip to face City.

The fixture list, though, will soon begin to pile up. Spurs will hope to play upwards of 60 games this season by performing in the cups. Frank's previous experience of managing in Europe consists of a handful of Europa League qualifiers at Brondby. There is a danger that the quick turnaround between fixtures as the season kicks in limits how effectively Frank can tinker.

The Spurs boss will be keen to avoid following a familiar pattern when it comes to new managers and fast starts in north London. Nuno Espirito Santo was named manager of the month for August after taking charge but was sacked barely eight weeks later. Antonio Conte was unbeaten in his first eight Premier League matches. Ange Postecoglou had Spurs five points clear at the top of the table by the end of October.

Frank's adaptability and the manner in which Spurs have picked up results does give the impression this positive opening could prove to be more sustainable.

Important end to window

There is a real danger that the club's failures in the transfer window could derail the start of Frank's reign.

With discontent among the fanbase justifiably growing, it is a huge few days ahead at Spurs.

That frustration among supporters led to a very low-key launch of the club's third kit this week. The decision was made not to push the kit out on social media as would ordinarily be the case due to an acceptance of the current mood surrounding the club. It was expected that the response to posts would be overwhelmingly negative, and there will instead potentially be more publicity around it once the transfer window closes.

Frank does not currently have a squad equipped to compete across four competitions and Spurs have missed out on a number of key targets, including Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.

There is still a push to sign a No10 and a winger before the window shuts on Monday, but the clock is ticking. Another centre-back is also on the agenda, particularly with Luka Vuskovic joining Hamburg on loan.

For all Frank has overseen early progress, he needs signings. There is a sense that a right-wing bias could develop, with the threat of Pedro Porro and Kudus on that flank not mirrored on the other side of the pitch. Adding a No10 and a top-class left winger would bring a balance and an unpredictability across the final third.

With the running power and ball-winning capabilities of the squad’s midfielders in support, it would be an incredibly exciting prospect. However, after a succession of transfer setbacks, it feels a long way off.

Frank could not have done much more in his first weeks in charge to prove he should be backed. He deserves signings that will raise both the quality on the pitch and the mood in the stands. Until then, discussions over the biggest trophies cannot be taken seriously.